One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work "draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction." Gone Girl's toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn.

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media--as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents--the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter--but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn't do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.

On the day of Nick and Amy’s five year wedding anniversary Nick comes home to find the door ajar, the iron still on, but no Amy. Amy’s typical anniversary gift to Nick includes a treasure hunt with small personal messages to help lead him to the next location and to the big present. When he finds the first clue she had left for him he begins to follow the clues and realizes that Amy had been trying to fix their fractured marriage, but it may have been too late.

The alternating POV (from present time to a past entry in Amy’s diary) absolutely killed this story for me. I’ve ready stories that were written in this same format before but for some reason this one caused me to develop ADD and I was being distracted by the tiniest things. I think I started and stopped this one at minimum a half a dozen times. Now despite this, I must say that it was an extremely detailed and well-written story, I just obviously lack the patience and focus to truly appreciate it.

As far as the characters go, Nick in particular was a very hard read. I didn’t find myself liking him or even feeling sorry for him; however, I suppose that’s to be expected as the way it was written made him a very obvious suspect for the reason Amy went missing in the first place. But of course, it’s hardly that simple. Once the story picked up, and Nick finally started to follow Amy’s clues I got into it a lot more. And once the story hit the midway point and did a complete 180? I was enthralled. Unfortunately that feeling didn’t last very long and I felt that the last half of the book was very disheveled and seriously crazy, and not in a good way.

This is a stand alone novel so I expect a wrapped up ending that answers all of my questions and gives some semblance of a resolution for the characters. I’m not asking for it to be all tied up in a pretty bow or anything but at least don’t leave me with out big wtf. Well, that’s exactly what I got. By the end, the story seemed so unraveled to the point of being undetectable from the story that I originally started reading. Having a story surprise me and go a completely different direction is one thing, but that’s not what happened here. Not a lot can be said without giving serious spoilers to the story but suffice it to say I failed to be impressed by the end. I do give this story credit for the intricate build-up even if the resolution was less than satisfactory.